Where to Stay for Coachella

Indio is the festival town. Empire Polo Club sits at Avenue 51 and Monroe, and most hotels along Highway 111 and Jefferson Street are within a 10 to 20 minute shuttle ride. Fantasy Springs Resort on Indio Springs Parkway runs its own Coachella shuttle. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden area on Washington Street has cleaner, newer builds. Food is honest and cheap on Indio Boulevard, where taco trucks and El Mexicali Cafe stay open late. Do not expect a walkable downtown. You drive or shuttle everywhere. Book the Friday before lineup drops or you pay triple by January.

Best for

First timerspeople without a caranyone who wants to stumble back after Headliner

Walk times

Empire Polo Club main gate 0 min
Indio Boulevard food 5 min
Fantasy Springs Casino 4 min

Skip if: You want a real downtown or a pool scene that is not a parking lot

Local tip: Hotels east of Jefferson Street are quieter and 15 percent cheaper than Highway 111 properties for the same shuttle distance.

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$314per night

Downtown Palm Springs

Pool parties, rooftops, and a real Friday night

Luxury $320-$800/night

Palm Springs sits 25 minutes northwest of the polo field on Interstate 10. Stay between Tahquitz Canyon Way and Alejo Road and you can walk to Las Palmas, Bootlegger Tiki, and the Saguaro pool deck. The Ace Hotel on East Palm Canyon Drive runs the loudest day parties of the weekend. Uber surge to Indio runs $45 to $80 each way after the headliner ends, so plan a shuttle or split a van. The Uptown Design District north of Alejo has the best vintage shops and the Cheeky's breakfast line. This is where the brand activations happen. If you want to be seen, you stay here.

Best for

Returning festival goersday party peopleanyone with a flexible schedule

Walk times

Ace Hotel pool 5 min
Las Palmas restaurants 10 min
Empire Polo Club 25 min

Skip if: You are seeing every set and want short rides home

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$358per night

La Quinta

Quieter, cheaper, 15 minutes from the gate

Luxury $240-$520/night

La Quinta sits between Indio and Palm Desert, centered on Washington Street and Highway 111. Old Town La Quinta on Calle Estado is a small walkable block with patios at Old Town Tavern and Stuft Pizza. Resorts cluster around PGA West and the La Quinta Resort on Eisenhower Drive, both with real pools and tennis courts. Drive time to Empire Polo Club is 12 to 18 minutes depending on which gate. The Sunday traffic on Avenue 52 backs up hard, so leave 90 minutes before your set. Grocery runs are easy at the Ralph's on Washington. This is the family compound rental zone.

Best for

Groups renting a houseanyone splitting cost four wayslight sleepers

Walk times

Old Town La Quinta 0 min
Empire Polo Club 12 min
Ralph's grocery 5 min

Skip if: You have no car and refuse to use a shuttle

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$269per night

Rancho Mirage

The splurge: spa, golf, and zero festival noise

Luxury $520-$400/night

Rancho Mirage runs along Bob Hope Drive and Frank Sinatra Drive, 30 minutes from the polo field. The Ritz-Carlton on the bluff above Frank Sinatra has the best views of the valley. Omni Rancho Las Palmas on Bob Hope is the family pick with seven pools and a lazy river. The River shopping center on Highway 111 has Babe's, Yard House, and a movie theater for the rest day. You will not see a single wristband at the bar. That is the point. Plan an hour each way to the festival and budget $80 for a private driver since rideshares are scarce here.

Best for

VIP ticket holdersparents with kidsrecovery between weekends

Walk times

The River shopping 5 min
Empire Polo Club 30 min
Eisenhower Health 5 min

Skip if: You are on a budget or want to walk to anything

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Prices shown for 1 room, 2 adults. Click to see current availability.

$582per night